Rebuilding Alberta's Energy Sector

As a former Minister of Energy in the provincial government, I understand the importance of getting our oil and gas products to market and I share your frustrations at the many challenges imposed by the federal government on our industry.

The Conservative Official Opposition, myself included, made this an issue daily in the House of Commons. We asked questions, made motions, forced emergency debates, and pushed the Liberal government on this matter every day the house sat both in the house chamber, and in all parliamentary committees. In the house alone, we have raised the issue thousands of times since the Liberal government has taken office. We are talking about Alberta energy in the media every chance we get, although in many cases little of what we say is reported.

We are also working outside the house, behind the scenes, to affect change. During this parliament I led a team of folks who were attempting to organize energy industry leaders to talk to business decision makers and community influencers in Ontario and Quebec, which ultimately are the voters who have the greatest ability to determine which party gets the most seats. This has lead to many new connections, and a better understanding of our industry and its impact on Canada's economy by many in Ontario and Quebec.

Should the Conservative party get elected, we have a strong plan for getting Alberta's energy sector back to work including the following:

Immediately repeal the Liberals job-killing Carbon Tax;

Repeal Bill C-69, the Liberal Anti-Pipeline Bill;

End the ban on shipping traffic on the North Coast of British Columbia;

Use the federal declaratory power to declare a major project ‘for the general advantage of Canada’, where we deem it necessary for future projects; and

Enact legislation that will:

Clarify the roles of proponents and governments that are involved in consultations;

Ensure that standing is given only to those with expertise or who are directly impacted by the project in order to end foreign-funded interference in regulatory hearings; and

Provide certainty to investors on approval timelines and schedules.

Our plan is comprehensive and makes use of every possible tool government has it its disposal to get our energy sector going again.